That episode of Dr Who just made me weep. It intensified the sadness of his life and the beauty of his work. I too have stood in front of Starry Night consumed by the colors and brushstrokes. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of his life and work. I had never truly realized the role his sister in law played and the debt we owe her.
My heart breaks when I think of how this gifted man struggled with depression and not believing he had anything to give to the world. The song “Starry starry night🌟”speaks well of who he is to me
This is a wonderful account of a brilliant but troubled genius and gentle soul. I’m going to listen to Starry Starry Night by Don McLean while your touching account of Vincent Van Gogh is still fresh in my mind and my heart. Thank you!!
I agree, "a wonderful account of a brilliant but troubled genius and gentle soul." But James you have done it with such skill and sensitivity. Thank you.
You wrote this the way I imagine Theo would have written it— with great love and awe. Thank you! I remember how moved I was when I first saw Church at Auvers in the 1979s. I stood beneath it for what seemed like thirty or forty minutes. I felt it was change me somehow. I know It transformed the way I looked at art. Thank you again.
I was at his museum in Amsterdam a month ago. The last painting he worked on, Tree Roots, is placed as you exit the room. As I approached it, I thought that the painting was "wrong." It felt wrong because it so didn't line up with any of his others. I thought it was by another artist. Then I read the placard and it said it was the one he worked on 2 hours before he shot himself. I've never left a museum feeling as I did with his.
I recently visited the museum in Amsterdam and got to know that he did not even have enough money to hire a model and that is why he has so many self portraits. It was pretty sad to hear that, only one soldier ever agreed to model for him. Ill end my comment with something our guide told us "When the entire world doesn't believe in you, it does something to your soul that is hard to just power through"
I’m so glad you shared Vincent’s own words with us as you told his story. There’s something so moving about looking at his paintings while carrying the weight of his words. The canvas seems to come alive, the colors, the brushstrokes, the faces. You see them, yes, but you also feel them in a way you wouldn’t without having that glimpse into his soul.
Standing as still as possible, with not a soul around, the warm scent blew past me in the golden wheat fields of Auver sur oise. Was it linseed oil soaked into the soil? I saw no crows in the blue sky that day, yet truly felt Vincent’s shadow brush over the lush ivy ladened gravestone. Pebbles on the path scattered beneath my feet, as a choir sang softly from the pews of the country church. A mysterious presence followed me this day, lingering alive in my memory. Vincent., the world was ever changed by one as beautiful as you.
Beautifully put, Georgina. Thank you. He has moved and changed so many people over the years, what a legasy he has left for us. I do not believe he shot himself, what I do believe is that he protected the purpetrator. It just adds a other layer to his kindness, his depth of character.
Kudos! This may be your best one yet. (But they've all been good.) Thank for correcting the oft-told story of his suicide. No way it's true. (Shot himself in the back? With a gun he never owned.... And was never found??) And I totally agree--I've never been a Dr. Who fan, but that one episode is transcendent.
I really love how you infused this article with Vincent's own writings. I felt a double awareness all the way through and the last quote is remarkable. Thinking of death as a train to the stars is for some reason very comforting. Thank you for bringing this unique perspective to us. It shows your love of beauty, truth and Vincent van Gogh.
What a beautiful and heartbreaking account of Vincent’s work and his life. He was my favorite artist as a child, and he’s still my favorite. When I saw “Starry Night” for the first time it made such an impact on me, it was visceral. He was a brilliant artist, and hopefully he knows how much his work touched the world.
I can now feel what he meant when he wrote:
If I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is a grass in the beginning.
— Vincent van Gogh
Goosebumps, 💔.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuyvCGari7k
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oMd3CvenCJSfDmBu9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/buUoT7m8WP52WoWm8
That episode of Dr Who just made me weep. It intensified the sadness of his life and the beauty of his work. I too have stood in front of Starry Night consumed by the colors and brushstrokes. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of his life and work. I had never truly realized the role his sister in law played and the debt we owe her.
My heart breaks when I think of how this gifted man struggled with depression and not believing he had anything to give to the world. The song “Starry starry night🌟”speaks well of who he is to me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuyvCGari7k
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oMd3CvenCJSfDmBu9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/buUoT7m8WP52WoWm8
I think that scene is the best thing that's ever been on television.
Your posts radiate a love for both the art and the artist. I am enthralled. I fall in love again. Thank you, James.
This, David.
This history lesson and essay was a beautiful work of art itself, James. I felt it.
Put it in a "museum" of your work.
This is a wonderful account of a brilliant but troubled genius and gentle soul. I’m going to listen to Starry Starry Night by Don McLean while your touching account of Vincent Van Gogh is still fresh in my mind and my heart. Thank you!!
I agree, "a wonderful account of a brilliant but troubled genius and gentle soul." But James you have done it with such skill and sensitivity. Thank you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuyvCGari7k
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oMd3CvenCJSfDmBu9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/buUoT7m8WP52WoWm8
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B073LNSQ5T?do=play&trackAsin=B073M5WTZ6&ts=1788112487&ref=dm_sh_2oSphrNIzYcueQaEMMPjcXDDv
One of my favorites
You wrote this the way I imagine Theo would have written it— with great love and awe. Thank you! I remember how moved I was when I first saw Church at Auvers in the 1979s. I stood beneath it for what seemed like thirty or forty minutes. I felt it was change me somehow. I know It transformed the way I looked at art. Thank you again.
I was at his museum in Amsterdam a month ago. The last painting he worked on, Tree Roots, is placed as you exit the room. As I approached it, I thought that the painting was "wrong." It felt wrong because it so didn't line up with any of his others. I thought it was by another artist. Then I read the placard and it said it was the one he worked on 2 hours before he shot himself. I've never left a museum feeling as I did with his.
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0195v1962
I recently visited the museum in Amsterdam and got to know that he did not even have enough money to hire a model and that is why he has so many self portraits. It was pretty sad to hear that, only one soldier ever agreed to model for him. Ill end my comment with something our guide told us "When the entire world doesn't believe in you, it does something to your soul that is hard to just power through"
I’m so glad you shared Vincent’s own words with us as you told his story. There’s something so moving about looking at his paintings while carrying the weight of his words. The canvas seems to come alive, the colors, the brushstrokes, the faces. You see them, yes, but you also feel them in a way you wouldn’t without having that glimpse into his soul.
Thank you for honoring him so beautifully.
Standing as still as possible, with not a soul around, the warm scent blew past me in the golden wheat fields of Auver sur oise. Was it linseed oil soaked into the soil? I saw no crows in the blue sky that day, yet truly felt Vincent’s shadow brush over the lush ivy ladened gravestone. Pebbles on the path scattered beneath my feet, as a choir sang softly from the pews of the country church. A mysterious presence followed me this day, lingering alive in my memory. Vincent., the world was ever changed by one as beautiful as you.
Beautifully put, Georgina. Thank you. He has moved and changed so many people over the years, what a legasy he has left for us. I do not believe he shot himself, what I do believe is that he protected the purpetrator. It just adds a other layer to his kindness, his depth of character.
Kudos! This may be your best one yet. (But they've all been good.) Thank for correcting the oft-told story of his suicide. No way it's true. (Shot himself in the back? With a gun he never owned.... And was never found??) And I totally agree--I've never been a Dr. Who fan, but that one episode is transcendent.
They’ve all been GREAT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuyvCGari7k
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oMd3CvenCJSfDmBu9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/buUoT7m8WP52WoWm8
Your writing about Van Gogh is indescribably breathtaking. I’ve read this twice now and you reflect the luminescence of Van Gogh’s works.
I really love how you infused this article with Vincent's own writings. I felt a double awareness all the way through and the last quote is remarkable. Thinking of death as a train to the stars is for some reason very comforting. Thank you for bringing this unique perspective to us. It shows your love of beauty, truth and Vincent van Gogh.
What a beautiful and heartbreaking account of Vincent’s work and his life. He was my favorite artist as a child, and he’s still my favorite. When I saw “Starry Night” for the first time it made such an impact on me, it was visceral. He was a brilliant artist, and hopefully he knows how much his work touched the world.
PS. Thank you James for expressing so beautifully what I could never adequately put into words Vincent is a man who deserves honor such as you give
I went to an exhibition of his work in Paris. It was the one where his paintings were projected to huge size,
It was something special walking through his paintings.